I’ve found an easier way to start dried bean soup in the slow
cooker. Instead of heating the water to boiling before adding it to
the slow cooker the night before, now I add unheated water to the
rinsed dried beans the night before and leave the setting at “low”
heat all night until morning.

The beans are all cooked in the morning, so all I have to do is heat
whatever other veggies the recipe calls for in the microwave oven and
add them to the already cooked beans. I also add the seasonings to the
slow cooker, stir all the ingredients together, and allow the soup to
continue cooking at low heat for a few hours, or until the flavors are
blended together. Then I turn the slow cooker off.

Tonight I’m cooking Black-Eyed Pea Soup this way. I’ll sort and rinse
two pounds of dried black-eyed peas in a strainer, add them to the 6 ½
quart slow cooker set on “low,” along with 12 cups water and a few bay
leaves. Then in the morning I’ll cook 3 cups of diced onions in the
microwave oven and add them to the slow cooker along with 6 ounces of
tomato paste and a dash of hot sauce or cayenne pepper (optional).

"Joyful Curmudgeon"
An oxymoron?
No! I see all the beauty of God's creation and I'm joyful. At the
same time, I see all the suffering and corruption going on in the
world, and feel called to help expose and end it so that we may have true
peace and compassion.